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Caleb Elder for Vermont House

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6/3/2021 Addison Independent Op-Ed

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Vermont Conservation Voters Endorses Caleb Elder
Vermont NEA Endorses Caleb Elder
Sierra Club Endorses Caleb Elder

Caleb and family

Why I'm Running to represent Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton and Starksboro in the Vermont House

I am a one-term incumbent serving the Addison-4 House District. I currently serve on the House Education Committee, and am a member of the bicameral Climate Caucus, Women's Caucus and Social Equity Caucus. Locally, I serve on the Board of Directors for the Mount Abraham Unified School District. I was recently appointed to the VSAC board, which I hope will be an opportunity to learn and to serve Vermont's student population more broadly. I grew up in Bristol, VT and attended Mount Abraham High School prior to attending Middlebury College. I graduated from Middlebury in 2004 with a degree in Environmental Studies. Over the past 15 years I have worked as an educator, a cook, a solar developer and a musician. Serving in the Vermont Legislature has been a long-held aspiration and it is truly an honor to represent our community in Montpelier.

 

 

 

Education

  • Emphasize workforce training and well-paying career paths open to Mt. Abe graduates.
  • Provide Vermont high school graduates with affordable options for continued education at VT State Colleges.
  • Pass education funding bill that reduces the burden on property tax payers.
  • Support continued local engagement in schools, following Act 46 mergers. Provide models for school advisory councils to augment the community engagement efforts of new Unified District Boards.

Health Care

  • Pass a Universal Primary Care bill as a first step towards Universal Health Care. Access to primary care can lower costs and improve outcomes over an entire population and over the long term. Our hospitals and insurers must help in this effort if we’re going to succeed.
  • Enable competition in the healthcare marketplace, where there is a clear need for  increased choice and pricing transparency.
Caleb at the Women's March

Energy

  • Provide streamlined regulation to enable and encourage high-efficiency affordable housing. Work with developers to understand how Vermont can support their work.
  • Revisit Net Metering rules following the 50% reduction in new permits in 2017.
  • Support existing farm methane projects and promote expansion of new biogas generation wherever possible.

Environment

  • Prioritize Lake Champlain cleanup efforts and identify new revenues to help pay for this long term effort.
  • Help Vermonters adapt to climate change and its effects.  We can strategize for changes in climate and weather while continuing our work to lower carbon emissions.
  • Pass a carbon reduction bill that ensures protections for low income Vermonters, while providing incentives to stop burning fossil fuels.

Transportation

  • Reconsider road designations to provide safe, bikeable routes for all Vermonters not just “road warriors”.  It should be safe for kids to bike to school on public roads.
  • Identify ways to continue funding our roads and bridges as the gas tax diminishes over time.
  • Increase bus and train services for commuters.
  • Expand broadband services throughout Vermont to facilitate more remote working opportunities.

Caleb and friends

Professional

  • 12 years working in the Renewable Energy sector, including solar project development for homeowners, schools, nonprofits and businesses.
  • Musician, performing on violin and viola with various Vermont groups for the past 25 years.

Public Service

  • Board member, Starksboro Town School District, since 2015
  • Board member, Mount Abraham Unified School District, since 2017
  • Board Member, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Political

  • Vermont Democratic Party State Committee, 2012-2017
  • Addison County Democratic Committee, since 2011
  • Chair of Starksboro Democrats, 2015-2019

Education

  • Bristol Elementary School
  • Mount Abraham Union High School
  • Patricia Hannaford Career Center 
  • Middlebury College, Environmental Studies Major